Ladder-chair



(No Model.)

G. W. DARBY. LADDER CHAIR.

No. 534,952. Patented Feb. 26, 1895.

f 44 Witnesses: WW. wan 3 Inventor. M i Attorney NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE IV. DARBY, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

LADDER-C HAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 534,952, dated February 26, 1895.

Application filed August 9, 1894. Serial No. 519,793. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. DARBY, of

Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ladder-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in that class of chairs designed to serve as ordinary chairs but adapted to be turned into a step-ladder.

My improvements in this class of chairs may be readily understood from the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a side elevation of my improved chair in condition for use as a chair; Fig. 2, a similar view when the structure is arranged for use as a ladder; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the structure adapted to form a higher ladder; and Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the high-ladder arrangement.

, present exclusively to Figs. 1 and 2: 1, indicates a chair-seat such as is used in ordinary chairs, and having its upper surface of such form and character as will best tend to comfort; 2, the front legs of the chair; 3, the rear legs of the chair; 4, the stretchers between the legs; 5, the ladder forming, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the back of the chair, the true base of the ladder then presentingitself upwardly and the top of the ladder coming down to or near the floor and in wardly between the rear legs of the chair, the ladder slanting rearwardly to form a comfortable chair back; 6, arms secured to the ladder-rails and projecting forwardly and then curving downwardly and forming comfortable chair arms; and 7, pivots uniting the arms to the chair-seat, these pivots lying in a vertical plane about midway between the front and rear edges of the chair-seat.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the structure forms a comfortable chair of pleasing appearance.

The ladder may be reversed as shown in Fig. 2, what was before the top of the chairback now becoming the base of the ladder and resting upon the floor forward of the front legs of the chair, the former base of the chairback now becoming the top step of the ladder. The ladder may be held in operative position by the hook 8 or any equivalent fastening.

It will be observed that when the chair is turned into a ladder the chair-seat is undisturbed and that the vertical plane of the top step of the ladder falls nicely within the base of the structure and forward of the pivots 7.

The chair-seat and the arms 6 and their curves 10 may, if desired, be upholstered, and so also may any desired portions of the ladder with which the sitters body comes in contact as a chair back.

In case a higher ladder should be desired then the pivots 7 of the structure should be raised to a higher level by means of the brackets 9 secured to the chair-seat and projecting rigidly upward and engaging the arms 6 at a higher point upon the arms as seen in Figs. 3 and 4:. Without the brackets 9 the structure has the advantage of lightness and a low chair back, and the disadvantage of a short ladder, while with the brackets the structure has the advantage of a higher ladder and the disadvantages of greater weight and greater height of chair-back, which latter matter, however, is not necessarily a disadvantage.

I claim as my invention In a ladder chair, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a jointless chair-seat rigidly supported on legs, pivots rigidly supported at each side of said seat in a common plane substantially midway between the front and rear thereof, a ladder disposed at an inclination at the rear of said rigid chair-seat with its base uppermost and its top portion at the floor inwardly beyond the rear edge of said chair-seat, and arms rigidly secured to said ladder and projecting inwardly into engagement with said pivots.

GEORGE W. DARBY.

Witnesses:

J. W. SEE, SAM. D. FITTON, J r. 

